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I saw unhappiness deeply impressed co on his countenance but he endeavoured to welcome me cheerfully and

^he

^ ^

^after our

^we

mournful had exchanged our mournful greetings

would have spoken on some other topic than that of our disaster had not

Chap. 11

We were soon joined

^ ^

Elizabeth. Time had made great alterations in her form since I had last beheld her.

Five

years

ago before she

was

a pretty,

good humoured girl with an understanding above her years

Whom every one

loved,

and

humoured

^caressed

She was now a woman in stature and expression of

countenance

which was uncommonly

lovely —

An open

&capacious for

^ ^

head

gave indications of a good

understanding

joined to great

frankness.

Her eyes were

hazel

and

very soft now through recent affliction they expressed sorrow. Her smile had som express ed

^ive

great

uncommon

mildness

now

through recent

affliction

allied to

sadness–

Her hair was of a rich

^ ^

dark

auburn

her complexion

fair

and her figure

sli m

^ght

and graceful. She embraced

w me with welcomed me with the greatest affection "Your arrival, my

best

^dearest

cousin," said she, give "fills me with hope. You perhaps will find

out some means to justify my poor

innocent

^ ^

guiltless

Justine. Alas Who is safe is she were convicted

^ ^

of crime?

for

belie rely on

her her innocence as

certainly as I do

upon

my own. ^Our Misfortune is doubly hard to us.

^We

have not only lost that lovely darling boy but this poor girl whom I sincerely love, is to be torn away by even a worse fate – Alas if she is condemned I shall never know joy more But she will not I am sure she will not and then I shall be happy again even after the d sad death of my little William."

"She is innocent, my Elizabeth," said

I and

that shall be proved – fear nothing but let your spirits be cheered by the assurance of her aquittal.

"How kind your are," replied Elizabeth, "every one else believes in her guilt, and that made me wretched for I would as surely believe in my for I knew it to be

^ that it was

impossible, and to see every one else prejudiced in so deadly a manner rendered me hopeless and despairing." She wept—

"Sweet

niece" said my father dry your

eyes tears and do not give so sad ^sorrowful a welc- come to Victor who has been so long absent if she is as you believe innocent rely that on the justice of our judges & the activity with which I shall prevent the slightest shadow of partiality.

We passed a few sad hours untill eleven o'clock when the trial was to

begin

^commence

and m

y father and E father El the rest of the family being obliged to attend as witnesses Iac I accompanied them to the court. During the whole of this wretched mockery of justice I sufferred living torture. ^ It was to be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless

desires

devices

would cause the death of two of my fellow beings. One a smiling babe full of innocence and joy, the other far more dreadfully murdered with every agravation ignominy infamy that could make that murder

more terrible .

memorable in horror.

Justine also was a girl of merit and possessed qualities which promised to render her

little world

life

happy; now all was to be obliterated in an d ignominious grave –

And I the cause! A thousand times rather would I have confessed myself guilty of the crime ascribed to Justine, but I was absent when it was committed and such a declaration would have ^been considered as the ravings of a madman and could not have exculpated her who suffered through me.

The aff appearance of Justine was calm. She was dressed in morn mourning and her countenance, always engaging, was rendered by the solemnity of her feelings exquisite -ly beautiful. Yet she Her mann Yet she appeared confident in innocence and did not tremble although gazed at and execrated by thousands. fo For all the kind ness which her beauty might have gained from others was obliterated by the rememberance of the enormity she was supposed to have committed. She was tranquil yet her tranquillity was evident constrained – and as her confusion had before been adduced as a proof of her guilt she worked herself up her mind to an appearance of courage. When she entered the court she threw her eyes round it and quickly discovered where we were seated – a tear seemed to dim her eye when she saw us but she recovered herself and g with a look

e of

sorrowful affection seemed to attest her utter guiltlessness.

The trial began and listened attentively wish and after the advocate against her had stated the charge several witnesses were called. Several strange facts combined against her which would have staggered any one who had not such prof of her innocence as I had. She had been out the whole of the night on which the murder had been committed and towards morning had been perceived by a farme

^market-

woman not far from the spot where the body of the murdered child had been afterwards found. He asked her wh

She

^The woman

asked

^ ^

her

what she did there ^? –

for

^but

she looked very stang strangely and only returned a confused ^ ^ &unintelligible

answer e .

^ ^

^She

came returned to the house about eight

o'clock

and when some one enquired where she had passed the night she replied that she had been looking

for

the child and

^ ^

enquired

demanded

earnestly if any thing had been heard concerning him. When the body was broughtinto the house she fell into violent hysterics and kept her bed for several days. The picture was then produced which the servant had found in her pocket and when Elizabeth in a faltering voice proved that it was the same

she had

^which

the an hour before the murder the child had been missed, ^

she had

placed round his neck a murmur of indignation and horror filled the court.

Justine was then called on for her defence.

God kno who reads all hearts knows how As the trial had

proceeded her countenance had altered. Surprise horror and misery were strong ly expressed. Sometimes she struggled with her tears wh but when she was desired to speak she collected her powers and spoke in an audible although variable

voice.

"God knows," she said, " w ho ^w entirely I am inocent. but I do not pretend to be acquitted on account of my protestations I rest my innocence a on a simple explanation of the

facts

which have been adduced against me, and I hope the character I have always borne will encline my judges to a favourable interpretation where any

fact

circumstance

appears doubtful or suspicious.

By the permission of Mad e Lavenza I passed the evening with an aunt at Chêne. One of my cousins returning from Geneva said that he had been at the house of M. Frankenstein and

She then related that by the permission of Elizabeth she had passed the evening of the night on which the murder was perpetrated at

^ ^

the house of

an aunt who resided in Chêne a village about a league from Geneva. On her return

^at about nine o'clock she met a servant man who asked her if she had seen any thing of the child who was lost. She was frightened at this account ^, and passed several hours in looking for him when the gates of Geneva were shut and she

passed

^ ^

^was forced to

remain

s e veral

hours of the night ^in a cottage, but unable to rest or sleep, she rose early that she might again endeavour to find my brother. If she had gone near the

spot

e where his body

lay it was without her knowledge

and she had been confused

^That if she had been bewildered

when ques tioned by the market woman, was

that

not

surprising when she was so

c was so wretched on

^for

the loss of poor William. Concerning the picture she could give no account. "I know," continued the unhappy victim e "how heavily and fatally this

o one circumstance

we weighs against

but I have no power of explaining it and when I have expressed my utter ignorance I am only left w as any other is to conject ure to conjecture concerning the probabilities by which it might have been placed in my pocket. But

I here also I am

at a

^checked

stand

^I believe that

I have have no enemy on earth who that I know and none surely who could have been so wicked as d to destroy me

so cruelly

^ ^

^wantonly.

Did the murderer place it there? I know of no opportunity afforded him for so

doing

or if I had why should he have stolen the jewel to part with it

^ ^

again

so soon again

"I commit my cause to the justice of my judges yet I see no room for hope. I beg permission to have a few witnesses examined concerning my character and if the

^testimony shall not overweigh my supposed guilt is an apparent I

shall

^must

be condemned although I p would pledge my salvation on my innocence."

Several witnesses were called who had known her for many years and they spoke well of her but fear and hatred of the crime of which they supposed her guilty rendered them timorous and unwilling

to speak

^ ^

^come forward

. Elizabeth saw even this last resource, her excellent and irreproachable dispositions & conduct, about to failthe accused, when although

uncalled

violently

agitated

she desired permission to speak. "I am" said she "the cousin of the unhappy child who was murdered or rather his sister for I was educated

and lived with his parents s ever

sin since and

long before his birth; it may therefore be judged indecent in me to come forward on this occasion but when I see a fellow creature about to perish through the cowardice of her pretended friends I wish to ^be allowed to speak that I may say what I know of her character.

and I

know a great deal

^ ^

am well acquainted with

it.

for I have lived in the same house with her at one time for five and afterwards for nearly two years. During all that

time

^ ^

^period

she

appeared to me

a most amiable and benevolent creature. She nurst my aunt in her last illness with the greatest affection and care

and

after terwards attended her

^ ^

own

mother during a long & tedious illness w in a manner that excited the admiration of all who knew her. After which she again lived in my uncle's house where she was

always a favourite

^ ^

beloved by all the

family

. Of the deceased

she was

very fond

^ ^

warmly attached to

of the child who

has been murdered

and acted towards him

in like a most affectionate Mother.for my own part I do not hesitate to

s ay that not withstanding

^all

the evidence

^produced against her I believe and rely i

n her perfect innocence. An She had no

temptation

and her dispo character

whi for such an

action

is amiable for

as to the bauble on which the chief proof rests If s

if s he had earnestly wished for it I should have willingly given it her so much did do

I rely I esteem and value her."

Excellent Elizabeth! A murmur of approbation o

was

heard, but it was

on her account

^ ^

excited by her generous

interference

& not in favour of poor Justine on whom the public

ig indignation ^

was

turned with renewed violence, charging her ^with the blackest in- gratitude. For She herself wept as Elizabeth spoke but she did not answer. My own agitation

^ ^

& anguish

was extreme

wh during the whole

of the trial.

The picture was I believed in her

innocence I knew it. Could the monster who had (I did not for a minute doubt) murdered my brother, alo in his hellish sport ^have betrayed the innocent to death and ignominy. I could not sustain the horror of my situa tion and when I saw that the popular voice and the countenance of theJudges had already condemned

the accused

X my

unhappy victim

her

I rushed out of the court in agony. The tortures of the accused did not equal mine she was sustained by innocence but the fangs of remorse tore my bosom– I passed a night of unmingled wretchedness. In the morning I went to the court; my lips and throat were parched. I dared not ask the fatal question – but I was know ^n and the officer guessed what I came to en-

^ ^

the cause of my

visit

quire; — the ballots had been thrown they were all

blak

^ ^

black

& Justine was condemned.